Completed in 2011 and once described as the construction project of the century in southern Estonia, the Koidula railway border station cost around €70 million to build.

While it never lived up to the hype, the railway border crossing today resembles a ghost town after freight transport to and from Russia fell off following the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Last week, Russia announced it was temporarily closing railway border crossings with Estonia, Finland and Latvia. This included Petseri (Pechory-Pskovskiye), near the Estonian border, which will further reduce traffic at Koidula.

However, maintaining the checkpoint still costs Estonian taxpayers €1.8 million per year.

Estonia's state-owned company Estonian Railways Ltd (Eesti Raudtee), which is responsible for railway infrastructure, said its costs connected to Koidula amount to approximately €236,000.

"As this is still a border crossing, it is important that the railway infrastructure remains operational," said CEO Merle Kurvits.

There is also a customs and veterinary inspection building at the site managed by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA), which covers the costs of all state agencies operating in Koidula.

"The operating costs of the state agencies are currently around €1.5 million, of which €1 million per year is the capital repayment component of the construction costs, which will continue until 2027. Around €500,000 covers ongoing building maintenance costs, including upkeep, technical maintenance, repairs, energy and heating," said Tauno Krull, head of the MTA's administrative department.

In addition, there is an annual €120,000 maintenance fee for the railway X-ray scanner.

"Since last week, the situation has changed slightly. We are looking for a way to temporarily suspend the procurement contract because we do not need the service if trains are not running," Krull noted.

Job losses are not expected as state agencies already operate at the site on an as-needed basis.

Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis (Reform) said costs at Koidula have already been cut to a minimum, and the state has no plans to shut it down completely.

"I do not think it can be closed entirely, if only because passenger trains still operate there. Looking ahead, once the Tallinn–Tartu railway is electrified, there will be surplus Stadler trains that could be deployed more frequently from Tartu to Koidula and Valga, as well as from Tallinn to Viljandi. So passenger rail services should actually become more frequent," he said. 

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